Acoma massacre

The Acoma massacre occurred from 22 to 24 January 1599 when Vicente de Zaldivar and 70 Spanish soldiers massacred the Pueblo of Acoma in a punitive expedition. On 4 December 1598, New Mexico governor Juan de Onate's nephew Juan de Zaldivar and 16 men were sent to requisition supplies from the Pueblo as winter was about to set in. The Pueblo, who needed their supplies in order to survive the winter, refused, leading to a scuffle which led to the deaths of Zaldivar and eleven of his men. Onate responded by ordering Vicente de Zaldivar to retaliate against the Pueblo, and they arrived at Acoma on 21 January 1599. The following morning, the Spanish began a two-day assault against Acoma, and they killed 500 Pueblo warriors and 300 women and children; they also captured 500 Pueblo. Every male above the age of 25 would have his right foot cut off and be enslaved for 20 years, preventing them from resisting the Spanish in the future. The massacre caused controversy in New Spain, and Zaldivar would be brought back to Mexico City in chains, exiled from New Mexico, and later sent back to Spain.